Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Billy Blanken. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Billy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
My collaboration with my partners to create our Living Dance Film model during the pandemic is one of the most consequential moments of my career. Using technology, live dance performance, project mapping and digitally animated artwork we were able to create a truly one of a kind evening of dance. As Broadway remained dark, we were able to keep artists employed and share our work live around the globe. We debut “SMDT Season 2- The Nutcracker” in December of 2020 and “Season 3- Sleeping Beauty” in June of 2021. Both live streamed dance performances had thousands of views from all over the globe and received rave reviews.
Billy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I started my dance company in 2016 with the mission to provide high quality dance performance to all New Yorkers. As a child, the arts transformed my life.
Access to arts is crucial for the sake of the spiritual evolution of our mankind.
Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre is a community of artists who explore movement through a socially-engaged dance practice. My choreography is theatrical, polished, and classically informed with a distinctively contemporary aesthetic. It is ballet for the new generation with deepest regard to our predecessors. The project’s repertoire ranges from site-specific performance art to classical ballet and multimedia works. We have been awarded superb accolades and foundational support for our innovative use of multimedia and first of a kind collaborations.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Artists are resilient. I have had many difficulties in my lifetime, injury, loss, death, and even a pandemic. It is not my resilience that inspires me. It is the determination of generations who came before me. I often think of a single mother raising her child on a dancers’ salary. I tell my students the story of the famous ballerina who was losing her vision. I think of people like Raven Wilksinson onstage in the Jim Crow South with the KKK threatening to raid the theatre. I think of Nureyev defecting to America when he learned of the Russian government’s plans to execute him for being a homosexual. I think of those who lived through the AIDS epidemic. I think of the current atrocities taking place in the Middle East. I am inspired by the resilience of the brave artists whose lifelong dedication to their craft paved the path for generations to come.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
When we come together we can work through our collective differences through shared experiences and reconnect with our higher selves. The arts are a meeting place for all of us to strengthen our bond with humanity. The dignity and respect the arts foster, sense of play and developing empathy strengthen our ability to listen, process information, handle complex feelings and understand the power of shared experiences. I also creative problem solving. When we work together we can create something that is larger than the sum of its parts. When I work with my dancers, the choreography is often created on them and for them. I trust their instincts and impulses. I believe my job as a choreographer is to share that artists uniqueness and beauty. I highlight what is strange and unique about that person. Dancers must be able to be incredibly vulnerable and human while holding space and strength. Having artists who trust my vision is the greatest compliment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sheepmeadowdanceth.wixsite.com/smdt
- Instagram: @billyblanken @sheepmeadowdancetheatre
- Twitter: @billyblanken @SMDTNYC
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@billyblanken4554
Image Credits
all photographers credit is in names of files